Tabu Ley Rochereau (1940-2013)(Congo-Kinshasa)

Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique

Tabu Ley Rochereau also known as "Le Seigneur" is one of the nestors of African music in
general and of Congolese music in particular. He started his career in Joseph "Grand Kalle" Kabasele's
African Jazz in
1959. Four years later, an important defection took place, and Tabu Ley left to create l'African Fiesta
together with
guitar hero Docteur Nico and Dechaud. Tabu and Nico didn't work together
for long, and Tabu continued with African Fiesta National (Dr. Nico went along with his African
Fiesta Sukisa faction). By the
mid-1960s, the Congolese music scene was at its most prolific, and numerous spin-off bands from either the modern
'international' African jazz clan or the rootsier OK Jazz clan appeared (cf. Ewens 1994).
Tabu Ley constantly innovated through introducing elements from salsa, soul and disco, but also makossa and zouk to the
Congolese rumba and he sung sometimes in French or English, unlike his rival and contemporary
Franco Luambo Makiadi. He also toured extensively
on the African continent outside Congo and after renaming his band in Afrisa International in 1970
he travelled to Paris to perform in the prestigious Olympia venue. This international success reflected on his popularity
back home where he was feted as a national hero (cf. Graham, 1989).

In the 1970s, Tabu Ley continued to tour, he recruted the brilliant Sam Mangwana and
increased the size of the Afrisa band. He added les Rocherettes,
a group of female dancers and singers. One of them, M'bilia Bel would become a solo singer within
Afrisa later on. Another highlight of that decade was the FESTAC 1977 performance, resulting in a double album. In the 1980s,
Tabu Ley established his own production company and label Genidia, and several albums were released, some in duet with
Mbilia Bel, with whom he was married until 1988. In that year, Tabu Ley introduced a young female
singer, Faya Tess. Kiesse Diambu joined the band at the beginning of the
decade, but left in 1983 for OK Jazz joining his brother Ntesa Dalienst.

In the 1990s, international success was achieved with albums such as
« Babeti Soukous »,
« Muzina », and
« Exil Ley ». Still backed by vocalists
Faya Tess, Bonane Wawali, Munoko Dodo Gisalu,
Beyou Ciel, Lukombo Djeffard Mayemba
and guitarist Nseka Huit Kilos, Afrisa has lost some of its outstanding members but they
benefited from the World Music vague.
Tabu Ley has lived abroad for several years (USA, Brussels, Paris), because he was not on good terms with President Mobutu.
Since the ending of the Mobutu era in Congo, Tabu Ley returned to his country, and entered politics and he occasionally
toured. Some of his band members (such as Nseka Huit Kilos, Dodo Munoko,
Wawali Bonane) stayed in the United States.
In 2008, he suffered a stroke, from which he was recovering slowly. He died in the Brussels Saint Luc Hospital on 30
November 2013, leaving behind 68 children.

Born: 13 November 1940, as Pascal Emmanuel Sinamoyi (Tabu and Ley were his parents' names, he adopted them
during the Authenticité campaign), in Bagata, Bandundu province. Died 30 November 2013 in BrusselsStyle: rumba, odemba, soukous, African jazz